Inbetween
by SomethingInTheWater
Summary: Ever wonder what happened between the time frame of Ichigo defeating his first Hollow and Rukia showing up at school the next day? Here's my answer!  Ichiruki if you squint


(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Second Bleach-y oneshot :) (This one's more of a oneshot than the last one) anyways, What happened in that time between Ichigo fighting his first Hollow and Rukia's first day at school? Inspired by the cute little picture separating the manga chapters 1 and 2. I DON'T OWN BLEACH. It would suck if I did, anyways.)

As Ichigo gave one last great swing of his zanpakuto, Rukia could only gaze with wide eyes and question the boy before her. _What in the world _is _this child?_

The mutilated Hollow began to disintegrate before the couple and Ichigo sank on his knees in exhaustion. The adrenaline he had acquired to save his family from the Hollow drained, leaving him empty.

"Ichigo!" Rukia called as his eyes closed and he fell forward onto the pavement. She attempted to crawl over to him, but was stopped by the immense pains radiating throughout her body. She was in such a trance watching the boy fight, she had almost forgotten about the massive injuries she sustained. As she grabbed for her shoulder, she was stopped by a sharp wooded clack behind her.

"Well, well, well…" the voice was lackadaisical, but there was an undertone to it. Somehow, she felt the voice was mocking her. "What have we here Miss…" Rukia turned around and was met by a crouching figure in a strange striped hat. He smiled broadly, "Kuchiki."

Rukia gasped. She knew she had a famous face around the Soul Society, but in the human world she was nothing… Yet something about this man wasn't completely human. She sensed a strong reiatsu compressed within him. "Who are you?" she asked, trying to gain some courage in her voice. It was a feat in itself. Although she was surprised this strange man recognized her, she had already begun to shut down. The bodily stress from her injuries as well as her spur of the moment reiatsu transfer left her all but void.

"Me?" he questioned with a sly look, "Well, I'm just a friend."

Rukia was taken aback by that comment. "A friend? I don't even know you!" she went to stand, but was dragged down by her injuries. Her head swam and she crashed back to the ground with a harsh wince.

"It seems you've fallen into the hands of a Hollow," he noted, "or jaws, that is," he corrected after eyeing the nature of her wounds.

"I'll be fine," she insisted, trying not to hiss in pain.

"Not with the amount of blood you lost," he said, gravely, "or reiatsu."

Rukia couldn't help but begin to sweat. She bit back a reply and switched topics. "The boy, Ichigo, is he okay?"

The man in the hat tilted his head to the side. "He seems to be alright." The man poked the boy's side with his cane. Rukia had a right mind to slap the stick away, but she was lacking the energy to do anything. The man coughed to redirect Rukia's attention."It's possible he's just unconscious from overexertion. Most normal humans don't become shinigami and fight Hollows within a ten minute span."

A lump formed in Rukia's throat, causing her to let out a choked noise.

"Don't think I'm unaware, Kuchiki-san. You know this is-"

"I know exactly what this is, and I know exactly what I did," she snapped, wincing at her own sudden movement.

The man put a fan I front of his face and used his other hand as a shield against the small girl's verbal attack. "Forgive me, Kuchiki-san. I was only trying to state a fact."

Rukia crossed her arms (an action that brought fresh ripples of excruciating pain) and clenched her mouth shut.

The man smiled dimly then stood, his arms hanging at his sides. He stretched his legs comically and yawned. "Well Kuchiki-san, we have quite our work cut out for us," he teased, placing his cane on the ground. "Tessai!"

Out of nowhere, a large man with bulging muscles appeared in front of Rukia. In his arms was Ichigo, back in his human body, all physical damage vanished.

"Yes, Urahara!"

The man- Urahara- flicked his fan shut and smiled charmingly. "Once you're done with the boy please take Kuchiki-san back to the Shoten and treat her wounds. I then want you to find a suitable Gigai." Urahara tilted his head to the side like a child and threw his cane over his shoulder. "I'll see you shortly, Kuchiki-san!" he threw up his hand in a wave before walking away.

"Wait! Urahara! Where do you think you're- Oof!" Rukia suddenly felt herself being dragged upwards in a pair of large tanned arms. A man three or four times her size with braided hair and a stone face pick up the small shinigami as gently as he could. "Let me down!" she protested, attempting to struggle, but was hindered by pain.

"I'm sorry Kuchiki-san," Tessai replied, emotionless.

Rukia sighed heavily and realized she was not going to get her way. She bit the inside of her cheek as the man carried away from the Kurosaki home. Her heart seemed to tug in that direction unconsciously. What was this feeling she was experiencing? She hadn't felt this kind of concern for someone in a long time… not since… Rukia shook her head, an action that brought on a fresh wave of dizziness. _Kurosaki Ichigo, please stay safe. _Rukia's eyes closed with her final thoughts.

xXx

The first thing Rukia noticed when she awoke was that there was little-to-no light outside. The second thing she noticed was that she was unbearably cold.

Sitting up, (in an unfamiliar bed at that), she winced, sore from head to toe. As she shifted her body into a sitting position, the thin blanket that had covered her fell from her torso, revealing a fully bandaged chest and abdomen. _What the…_ Images from the night before flashed through her mind like one of those movies without sound. What was the word for those? Rukia didn't let it bother her. Instead, she tried to make sense of her current situation. The Hollow, Ichigo, the jaws of the beast wrapped around her small body… the blood, the boy, a huge sword… and _Urahara_. She remembered now, the man who had appeared beside her.

"Oh, so…" she thought out loud, letting her head swivel from side to side. On a chair next to her was a bundle of clothes, tied with twine, a note tucked under the cross of the thick thread. Rukia kneeled beside the char, wincing slightly and grabbed the clothes. She plucked the note from the bundle and read it.

_Kuchiki-san,_

_This is the standard Karakura High School uniform. You are already in a gigai (free of charge, this time only). I'll be gone by the time you read this, so I can't assist you in finding the school. On the back of this note are directions on how to get there. I suggest you come back tonight and we can discuss your… _situation_. For now, your secret's safe with me. School starts 're in class 3-A. _

_-Urahara Kisuke_

Rukia flipped the paper over to reveal a crudely drawn map. She rolled her eyes, not believing the terrible art skills most men possess.

Rukia sighed and began changing into her school clothes. After she had on her skirt, she admired herself in the outfit. Rukia had never been a schoolgirl- or not that she knew of.

She checked her cell phone for the time and realized it was only 5:30. Not the morning person, and still wiped from the previous night, she let out a short snort and lay back down. Another hour or so of sleep couldn't hurt…

And something in the back of her mind told her she'd need it.


End file.
